HIDDEN is Catherine McKenzie's fourth novel. It is the story of Jeff and his wife Claire and his co worker Tish. Jeff is killed by a car while walking home from work one day in a freak accident. Claire and their son Seth are reeling from this of course, but so is Tish. Why? Wasn't she just Jeff's co-worker? Was there something more going on between these two? HIDDEN makes you question your own life. What if you died unexpectedly? Would you be leaving behind some secrets of your own?

HIDDEN is told by three narrators, Jeff, Claire and Tish. Each has a story to tell and none of them are without fault. Jeff is telling his story in the past and Claire is telling hers in the present and Tish is a combination of both. You also learn a lot from Jeff's brother, Tim. He was in a relationship with Claire before she got together with Jeff. He wanted to see the world and she didn't want to leave Springfield so they broke up. Jeff spends a lot of his life wondering if Claire is still in love with his brother and if she wishes she were with him instead of Jeff. Tim comes home for Jeff's funeral after being away for many many years. Will things go back to the way they were before he left? Will Claire let him back into her life? You are going to have to read HIDDEN to find out! I'm not giving away any spoilers. Unlike McKenzie's previous three titles (ARRANGED, SPIN, and FORGOTTEN) there's very little humor in HIDDEN. It's about family and relationships.

I was immediately pulled into HIDDEN. I found that the characters were incredibly real and I connected with all of them . Their story even haunted me long after I finished reading HIDDEN. I found it to be a tantalizing read and am very impressed with how Catherine writes about relationships. We all know how complicated they can be and HIDDEN shows you just how much. She pulls you right in and makes you feel as if you are right there in the room with the characters.

The other thing I love about HIDDEN is that it twists and turns and don't go where you are expecting while dealing with issues of relationships, family, secrets, pain, and regrets. HIDDEN is the kind of novel that would make a fantastic book for your book club. There is even a Reading Guide that can help you and your book club have an awesome discussion.

Book Summary

While walking home from work one evening, Jeff Manning is struck by a car and killed. Not one but two women fall to pieces at the news: his wife, Claire, and his co-worker Tish. Reeling from her loss, Claire must comfort her grieving son and contend with funeral arrangements, well-meaning family members and the arrival of Jeffs estranged brother, her ex-boyfriend Tim.

With Tish's co-workers in the dark about her friendship with Jeff outside of the office, she volunteers to attend the funeral on the companys behalf, but only she knows the true risk of inserting herself into the wreckage of Jeff's life. Told through the three voices of Jeff, Tish, and Claire, Hidden explores the complexity of relationships, the repercussions of our personal choices, and the responsibilities we have to the ones we love.